


One Bed

by mistress_of_shadows



Series: miles/scar shiptober challange [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Comfort, How Do I Tag, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 02:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20859071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistress_of_shadows/pseuds/mistress_of_shadows
Summary: The trip to Ishval can only be taken so far by train. Miles and Scar stop at the last town on the rail line, looking for a place to spend the night before beginning the rest of their journey towards rebuilding Ishval. The only problem being there is only one room, with one bed. Scar does not understand why Miles sees this as a problem. By the end of the night Miles decides this was not the problem he thought it would be.





	One Bed

We grabbed our bags from the overhead rack as the train rolled to a stop at the station. It would be a long trek from the last station to Ishval. What rail lines there had been to the city were damaged from neglect or active intent during the civil war, so until they could be reconstructed, we would have to travel the rest of the way on foot. Scar might have been willing to do that without supplies, but I insisted on the minimal. Nothing more than a backpack that wouldn't load us down, but it was a vast improvement from Scar's first suggestion of nothing but the clothes on our backs. 

“Have you been here before? Do you know of any near hotels?” I asked my companion, looking around the dark roads that were lit only by streetlights, the sun having long set. 

“No.” The short answer was normal from Scar, and more than I had expected from the full Ishvalan. It was an improvement from the silence, I often got. He started down a road and I followed along. If we didn't come across one, then I could ask where the nearest hotel was. It didn't seem that it would be much of a problem though, as the first building we came to when turning a corner had a vacancy sign in the window and the hotel's name above the door. Scar led us into the building, but stayed close to the wall once entering. Leaving me to approach the man behind the desk.

“Ah, hello Major, we were about to close the doors for the night. Can we help you men?” he asked, glancing warily at my companion. Whose scars did well to scare off people, if his red eyed glare didn't. With my uniform blues and dark glasses, it was a guarded look I rarely got, but still one I felt sharply. 

“We were hoping to book two rooms for the night.” I put on a public pleasing smile, but didn't feel much of the sentiment. It seemed that the closer to Ishval we got, the higher the tensions between the people were. Hearts could rarely be changed overnight, no matter how frustrating the thought. 

“Sorry sir but we only have one room left for the night. It's the busy season for us, and I'm not sure you’ll find much else close.” The clerk said, scratching the back of his neck as scar examined a picture frame on the wall. It was harder to keep my smile. I didn't mind having to share with the other Ishvalan per say, but I was looking forward to a bit of privacy. Besides that, two rooms were more expensive. Since it was Mustang sending us ahead to survey the damage, I wanted to make my expense report as large as possible because the man rubbed me the wrong way. He was not the general, and I did not appreciate the way he thought that he could order me around in the same manner that she might.

“That's fine. We simply need two beds and one night's stay.” I was tired from the long trip on the train, too tired to argue overly much about a room. I wanted to get in one and relax, before either of us gave the clerk more reason to dislike us. 

“It has one bed.” The clerk said, now visibly sweating. I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. Why couldn't he had said so earlier? Clearly Scar and I had entered together, and would be seeking refuge together. It was a waste of time to not explain that when he said he had one room. “We might still have a cot if you would like?” The clerk offered helpfully. Some of the tension drained from my shoulders. It wouldn't be the best, but it couldn't be as bad as the ones in Briggs. 

“No, we don't. The family with four children took them all.” A woman's voice called from the back. Ishvala help me, I was not going to make it to the holy land with my sanity intact. I'd never thought I would miss the barren cold of the North, where I at least could have my own bed. 

“Miles give the man the contact numbers, so we can go to the room for the night. Unless you would prefer the alleyway?” Scar grumbled, from the other side of the room. As road weary as I was, he was and twice as cranky and without any of the care to hide it. 

“Well, if it's what you have then I'm sure we can make due. Thank you for your hospitality.” I hoped that the man could not notice how my smile was a touch too sharp to be friendly. I wrote down the address and which office to send the bill to and took the room key. 

“Thank you Major. I hope your stay is a pleasant one. Your room is up the stairs last on the left.” the man smiled back at me. Scar started up the stairs without me, taking the key from my hand as he passed by. I plastered a smile on until I was out of sight of the Amestrian, it dropping to a deep frown after I started up the stairs. I doubted that such a small town could have so much tourism to fill it, but rather the old man wanted to keep us both in the same room. Easy to control and less damage to worry about should the Ishvalan's choose to act out, likely being his personal reasoning. My uniform, undoubtedly being the only reason he was as polite as he was. 

“You are too generous to those sorts Miles.” Scar grunted, having already set his bag on the floor and was sitting on the bed to unlace his boots. Closed the door to the room behind me, locking it for good measure. 

“Showing him his own hostility will do us no good. We cannot change the minds of people by feeding into the image they have of us.” I wasn't surprised that the clerks less than warm welcome hadn't escaped Scar, or that he would hesitate to comment on it. I put my own bag on the small desk and sat on the chair to unlace my own boots. Even if most of the day had been spent on the train, I was still as tired as when I did patrols in the fort. I was more than ready to turn in for the day. 

“Yes, but people must be made aware of their own faults if they are to correct them. You do him no kindness to let him continue to act as he does.” Scar argued, peeling off his shirt in a fluid motion. I could make no further comment both because I did not have a suitable counter, and I was rushing to the bathroom with whatever clothes were at the top of my bag. Shutting the door behind me, I leaned back against the wood. 

This was going to be harder than I thought to spend so much time alone with Scar. The bubbling heat in my chest at even the smallest glance at his bare chest had proven that. I almost wished I could go back to how I felt about the man when we first meet at Briggs. Someone distant from myself, cold, uncaring, and nothing more than a murderer. Now I'd seen the man as someone who had changed in the months between, or maybe one who had found himself again. Not that the difference stopped the warmth that pooled in my chest and sometimes lower if I was not careful to stop my thoughts. 

I turned towards the mirror and caught the flush reddening my cheeks. I placed my glasses on the counter and rubbed my face. This was going to be a long trip and not only for its distance. After the promised day I had spent most of Scar's recovery time by his side. Making sure he wouldn't overstress his wounds, and learning all I needed to about Ishval before attempting to restore. In that time I had learned about the man under the scars and spilt blood. How he cared more for his people than anything else in the world, more than himself. That his coldness was from fear and uncertainty. That the path of blood shed was one walked because of unbearable pain, and shame. In a few short weeks I had gone from contempt, to infatuation when regarding scar. It was very inconvenient. 

I considered my options for tonight as I changed out of my day clothes. The floor was the most likely option, if the least pleasant. But it would keep me away from the source of this unfortunate warmth and affection that I had no intention of acting on. One couldn't deny that Scar was a handsome man and there was no fault in admiring that, but we had to work together that had to come before whatever whim my heart craved. I was also sure that scar had no interest in anything I might have to offer. I was fairly sure he had no interest in anyone, as he’d only ignored any offers from other people that he had received in the time it took to heal. 

Untying my hair so it fell loose around my shoulders, I steeled myself for a long night on the cold floor. Checking in the mirror that my blush had settled again, before leaving the bathroom. Forcing myself to leave the room so that I could not decide to sleep in the tub, something I knew to be even less comfortable than the floor from experience. Scar was laid out under the covers for all intents perfectly ready to go to sleep. 

“While I don't mind sleeping on the floor, we could have at least had a conversation about who gets the bed.” I laughed, to hide my nerves at the reminder that Scar does not usually sleep with a shirt unless it's cold. Which it was not, the day's heat still clinging to everything which I found very uncomfortable after so many years spent in the cold weather of Briggs. Scar looked up at me perplexed. 

“Why would you sleep on the floor?” Scar asked. I stumbled on my way to my bag to look for the spare blanket I had stored there. Quickly correcting so he wouldn't notice I had nearly tripped over my own feet. I turned to Scar with my own confusion. 

“Because you're in the bed.” I stated, trying to convey it for the obviousness that it was. Unless I'd misread some of his intentions. The times he would walk a step closer than friends might, and sat very close during meal times. Had he been trying to state his own interest in a subtle way. 

“You are too distanced from your own culture Miles. Beds are not only shared by lovers, but also friends and family. Brother and I shared a bed often past our childhood, for convenience or comfort.” Scar sighed with a roll of his eyes. He patted the other side of the bed notably it could fit the both of us easily. “You cannot get proper rest from the floor, and it will slow you tomorrow when we need to travel.” Scar insisted when I hesitated. A burning blush rose in my face, embarrassed that my own infatuation was affecting my view of him. It was merely a cultural difference in how one showed friendliness. 

“Well, if you insist.” There would be little use in arguing with Scar when he got that stubborn look in his eyes. I wouldn't put it past him to pick me up and drop me in the bed. I went to the wall and turn off the light. Hopefully he couldn't see the blushed in the dark. Scar rolled on his side turned away from me, while I tried to get comfortable. Sticking as close to the edge as I could without falling off, I tried to breathe through the tension in my body. It didn't help that I could feel the heat radiating off Scar like a forbidden temptation. Having certain reactions right now would only make matters worse. 

I reached to remember my training on how to slow my heart rate, calm the mind, relax under duress, it never seemed so hard to do as it was now. Scar gave a rumble behind me, and the bed shift as he moved. I was wholly unprepared for his arms to wrap around me and pull me against his chest. I yelped softly at the contact with his solid frame. 

“You are much too stiff. You will never get to sleep like that. Relax brother, you are safe here.” Scar mumbled, his breath ghosting over my neck and that helped nothing. I was sure I was red as fire heated brick by now. I did my best to relax imagining Scar as someone else, anyone else. Buccaneer and I had shared a bed before when on scouting missions, body heat going to be the only thing keeping us from freezing. Thinking of Buccaneer didn't help any, as it made a different hurt settle in my heart. A longing for a friend gone. 

Scar was nothing like the other man anyways, shorter and not quite less broad but in a different manner. Scar also carried a different smell. None of the crisp cold air and horrible coffee, but rather spice and earth, like Ishval clung to him despite his long absence. These things were hard to ignore from how close we were, like Scar's mere presence aimed to envelope me like his arms did. I could so easily melt into Scar's embrace, but that would just indulge my misplaced affections, leading to a bigger problem with the inevitable heartbreak. 

“If you are truly so uncomfortable next to me, I will not stop you from moving to the floor.” Scar’s arm started pulling away, I grabbed his wrist on impulse. Cursing myself for the action as now the other man waited for an explanation. I knew his eyes were boring into my skull. 

“You said lovers earlier, what did you mean by that.” I asked carefully, knowing that the roundabout phrasing wouldn’t confuse him. I couldn't manage the whole trip with my emotions reacting like this. Fluttering at every small action and dropping the second his attention was gone. It would be better to face rejection now and move on so I could put my efforts in the rebuild. 

“Ishval does not have the same stringent ideas of who can love that Amestris does. Women can love women, men can love men, and many more combinations of such.” Scar pulled me impossibly closer. Emboldened by his words and the darkness, I turned over carefully to face Scar. Losing any courage I had found when I saw his red eyes so full of hope, and other soft emotions I didn't want to name. 

“That sounds very nice.” I muttered looking away. But the only other place to look was his bare chest, by this point I was sure that my skin would be permanently stained by my blush. 

“We can only gain by asking for what we want.” Scar said his fingers brushing through my hair. I finally relaxed under the touch, soothing in a way nothing else was. 

“But what if I cannot have what I want?” the words so quite I wasn't sure he would hear me, and I wasn't sure if that would be better or not. I'd have lovers before, and I always gave with all my heart. It was something that was too much for others, or they wanted me to be someone I was not, someone less Ishvalan, more them. I wanted safety and acceptance, and I wasn't sure how much more loss I could handle. 

“No one ever knows until they reach out.” Scar mumbled, and I felt a fool. Of course, Scar would understand. The man had lost all he had ever claimed as his own, home, family, sense of self. But here he was, still reaching out to try and reclaim some of it. Rebuilding his home, finding family in those that were left, and making himself into a man that he could be proud to look at in the mirror. 

“Your love.” It was a challenge to say just that much. The terror of rejection would have me leaving not just the bed, but the hotel as a whole, yet I was not a man that turned away from the terrifying. I would not have gotten to where I was in life if I shied away from pain. I did not intend to start doing so now. Scar did not tense, seeming merely contemplative, but I didn't have the never to look him in the eyes to determine what he was thinking. 

“That I cannot give.” My heart clenched and tears burned behind my eyes, but I held myself together. I had expected this. I was too different, not Ishvalan enough to be someone that he would care for as more than a friend. “But that does not mean I cannot give it in time. I would be very interested in seeing where the feelings I do have lead.” Scar rubbed my back with the hand not toying with my hair. I wrapped my arms around him, clutching at his shoulders in relief and happiness. I looked up to Scar, seeing the love in his red eyes that he'd said he did not have to give. 

I lean forward cautiously, and Scar met me in a kiss more tender then I might have ever thought the man capable. Oh, praise Ishvala did it make my heart sing to feel his chapped lips against my own. Each of us worn rough by sand or snow, and so ready to find a home in the other's arms. 

“We should sleep, we have a long day ahead of us.” I pulled away to tuck my head under Scar's chin when I felt more intense reactions start from the simple kiss. I could revel in the feeling, but now was the moment for such things. 

“That's what I've been saying.” Scar laughed, and I couldn't help but chuckle along with him. Slipping into sleep with his arms around me and my heart full with the possibilities that tomorrow would bring. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is most started from there not being nearly enough fics about these two, and thinking that someone should do something about that. Moments later realizing that I was someone. I decided with it being October I was going to start a challenge by myself, for myself, so that there could be more of this underappreciated ship in the world. That may or may not always be exactly on time. If you have comments or requests then feel free to leave them, they are more then welcome.


End file.
